Break the tip of the fleet off and send them scattering!” Jason stepped over the massive lines of rope holding the cannons in place in the gunnery beneath the deck of the ship as the crew scrambled to action. The Chinese fleet seemed to have come out of nowhere, and while the number of ships Jason had seen heading toward them was significantly less than what the scouts had described, he had no way of knowing if the fleet he was about to engage had any of the weaponry described by Dean’s scouts. Jason peered through one of the portholes, the small opening offering its limited circular view of the Chinese vessels in their battle formations. Sunlight filtered through the portholes, illuminating the dark underbelly of the cannon holds, where the air was stifled with heat and there was always a fine layer of dust from the gunpowder. The first ship came into view, and Jason held up his arm, the crew waiting for his signal.
